Super Mouse
by skimmingsurfaces
Summary: The invincible Super Mouse ups his game after being on the receiving end of some terribly rude words. He takes crime fighting to a whole new level... much to the chagrin of his faithful citizen. Brain's plans are put on hold as he tries to keep his wayward husband from being killed by his own stupidity. Established P/B. Co-written with StarShineDC.
1. Chapter 1

Da-na na-na na-na na-na, da-na na-na na-na na-na- Super Mouse!

Da-na na-na na-na na-na- Super Mouse!

He sprang from the shadows, he sproinged from the ceilings, he was always home by supper! The dashing, debonair, do-gooder of good deeds! He never took the whole cheese. A giver through and through. Super Mouse!

A culmination of all of Pinky's favorite comic book superheroes, Super Mouse had it all. X-ray vision, flight, super speed, black belt martial arts moves, a magic ring, cool gizmo-gadgets, a cape, a mask, his own theme music, batteries included, and an invisible motorboat-bike-car-biplane! Spaceship! Yeah, it was a spaceship too! So he could fight the evil Plunger-Goober-Meister Alien Squad of Sector 10 in Homie-G Quadrant Zero!

Doo-doo-doo! Dooby-doo doo-doo-doo! Super Mouse!

The best hero ever. A mouse for every mouse. He had no known weakness! Except his weak ankles, but he was looking into that. And... well... his secret identity, of course. Which was clearly a secret! Narf!

But once... a long time ago... in a galaxy far, far away... oops. Wrong story. Just a long time ago then. Anyways. A long time ago- well... not that long actually. It was last week. Last Tuesday to be specific. So, last Tuesday, his secret identity was compromised... and it was almost... the end... of our beloved... Super Mouse...

-8-8-

It actually started two weeks before that when Super Mouse (as his secret identity, Pinky the genetically altered lab mouse) was traipsing through another one of the fun-fun silly-willy mazes the scientists had them go through. Him and his husband, The Brain, of course. It was all part of his ruse, he had to do the things normal lab mice did so he could keep his secret identity secret. No one would suspect that a mild-mannered mouse was really the caped crusader. As well as The Brain's sidekick in his eternal attempts to take over the world!

So, while in the maze, Pinky had momentarily gotten separated from Brain. It wasn't an unusual occurrence, these mazes were so con-fusing! Once the smell of moldy cheese went away, the exit was very difficult to find. Sometimes Brain was even harder to find because he'd keep moving. At least the exit didn't ever walk away. To the best of his knowledge, anyway.

Turn after turn, the taller mouse was left Brainless. Brainless as in the mouse, not the thing in his head because he was pretty sure he'd be a zombie monster if he didn't have one of those. That's all they seemed to want anyway, brains to eat. Just like that alien Zalgar who tried to eat Brain's brains. Hmm... maybe he was thinking of aliens, not zombies.

Pinky pondered this as he turned another corner, coming to a halt as he noticed a foreign mouse down one of the corridors. From his experience with the other lab mice, outside of Billie, they weren't very friendly to him and Brain at all. But it didn't stop Pinky from waving and smiling at this stranger. You attracted more lightbulbs with honey than vinegar, after all! The lanky mouse was quite surprised, however, when the stranger mouse smiled and waved back before continuing on his way. None of the other mice ever smiled so friendly-like before.

Pinky clasped his hands together over his heart as he beamed. He'd made a new friend, oh, how delightful!

It wasn't until that evening, when Brain was busy at work with his plan thingies, that he bumped into his new friend. He'd actually quite forgotten about him, too invested in the epic adventure he was embarking on as Super Mouse. Driving his invisible car (it changed into whatever he deemed necessary) the hero found himself on the other end of the lab, skillfully avoiding obstacles as he scanned the streets for trouble.

He skid to a stop when he heard a whistle, super hearing super ears perked and alert as he looked around. Using his x-ray vision he was able to see through the cage and take note of the same mouse from the maze. From this close up, he could see he was a gray color with a black splotch over one eye. He was taller than him too, broader built. But his smile was enchanting! Pinky just adored people's smiles. And by default, so did Super Mouse.

"Hullo, there!" Pinky waved, his own grin bright.

"Hi," the other mouse replied kindly, not remotely fazed by the mask and cape. "Who might you be?"

"Super Mouse! Crusader against croutons and criminals alike!" he declared, striking a pose.

"Super Mouse? So, you're like a real life superhero." The mouse played along, grinning at the way Pinky began to bounce. "What do you have against croutons though?"

"Nothing. Poit. It's just part of the slogan. Us superheroes have to be very flexible when it comes to commercial catchphrases." Pinky's eyes lit up as the other mouse laughed. It was a happy laugh, not at all like a meany-mean laugh like the other mice in the lab. Oh, he liked this mouse! "And what's your name? Poit."

Dark pink eyes looked him over a moment before he replied. "Well, I'm Police Chief Nibbles, of course. And I have an urgent message for you, Super Mouse. The food pellet supply is being robbed and we need your help to catch the crook!"

Pinky nearly squealed in delight, almost breaking character, but held enough of himself in check (and by in check, it meant keeping the excitement restricted to bouncing up and down in place). Someone else understood! And a friend of the law too! "Which way did he go, Chief? Where's the crookedy crook? I'll catch him!"

With a safety pin, Nibbles unlocked his cage door. "This way, Super Mouse. On the corner of "Science for Dummies" and "So You Want to Be A Scientist?"."

And thus began a beautiful friendship!

Pinky started doing his rounds as Super Mouse every night since he'd met Nibbles. They got all the bad guys and solved all the mysteries. It was great fun! Especially since it gave him many new crimes and bad guys to bring to justice. He still hadn't met justice, but he hoped she got all the bad guys okay.

Nibbles was also clever. Not as clever as Brain, of course (no one was as smart as his chubby hubby), but still much smarter than himself. When he'd told the megalomaniac that, he'd simply rolled his eyes and informed him that "that didn't take much". Pinky laughed and considered letting Brain meet Nibbles, but then his secret identity would be compromised. If the police chief knew that Super Mouse knew The Brain, then bad guys could torture the information out of him and put Brain in danger. And he would absolutely never allow that to happen.

Brain didn't seem to mind that he couldn't meet his friend though (mostly because the smaller mouse had assumed it was a button or piece of lint that he was playing with), so Pinky was okay with it. As was Super Mouse.

After two weeks of fun-fun silly-willy superhero things, he and Nibbles had developed a complex cereal killer plot that went on for two whole nights! It was very intense. They followed the killer's tracks to a maze-like maze, where he must've been hiding. Super Mouse was not concerned by mere mazes the way Pinky was, he was brave and capable of anything. Even if there was no moldy cheese or husband to help him find his way out. At least he had Chief Nibbles with him!

"We'll get that bad ol' cereal killer, chief. And after dealing with us, he'll think twice about harming innocent marshmallows and ruthlessly maiming colorful loops of fruit!" Super Mouse declared as they examined every nook and cranny.

"Of course, Super Mouse," Nibbles agreed, glancing over at Pinky, gaze following his tail as the lanky mouse wandered ahead. "We've got him right where we want him."

Being in front of him, Pinky was entirely unprepared to be tackled from behind. "He's got me, chief!" he cried out, until he was flipped over onto his back and staring up into the dark pink eyes of his friend. "Nibbles?"

"Why don't we take a break from this game?" Nibbles suggested, tapping the mask as he settled on Pinky's waist. "And get to know each other a little better... what do you say?"

"Poit. What do you mean? We already know each other." Blue eyes blinked up at him in confusion.

The gray mouse shook his head. "I don't even know your real name yet." He leaned down to whisper in his ear, despite Super Mouse's supersonic hearing. "Don't you trust me yet, friend?"

His ear twitched and he shivered a little at the chill he inspired. "Of course I do! _Narf! _ But my secret identity-"

"I won't tell anyone," Nibbles promised, crossing his index finger over his heart. "It can be our little secret."

Super Mouse bit down on his lower lip as he considered. He did like secrets after all, and they were friends too... he supposed it couldn't do any harm. "I'm Pinky." He smiled up at him. "Nice to meet you, Nibbles!"

The larger mouse smirked. "Nice to meet you, Pinky. Very nice." And suddenly he crushed his lips against those of the pinned mouse and was grinding their hips together.

Pinky released a startled squeak and pushed away. "No, Nibbles! What are you doing?"

"Getting to know you a little bit better, of course. What does it look like?" He grabbed onto Pinky's wrists to keep him from shoving at his chest and held them down on the floor of the maze.

Eyes wide behind the mask, Pinky shook his head frantically as Nibbles licked at his neck. "No, no, no, no! You can't! We're only friends, Nibbles! I'm married! _Zort!_ Married and in a mahogany relationship!" And you didn't kiss or do these sorts of things when you weren't married. Instead of making all the butterflies in his tummy like when Brain licked him there, it only made him feel sick and bad inside. "Get off please!"

"Married?" Nibbles looked at him with exasperation. "You mean you have a mate?"

"I have a husband," Pinky stated, nodding firmly. "And we're happily married! So stop it and let me up."

The large mouse rolled his eyes. "You can't be married, Pinky. You're a mouse. Mice mate and mice can have multiple mates." He held onto both of Pinky's wrists with one hand, using the other to trail down his body, caressing his thigh and then the base of his tail and then...

"Don't touch me there! That's not for you to touch!" Pinky wiggled, trying to get out from under Nibbles. "And we _are_ married! We had a honeymoon and everything!"

"Come on, Pinky. Live a little. You can't possibly be satisfied from being with only one mouse." He started sucking on Pinky's neck, making him whine and kick because he didn't want this.

"Stop it!" He tried summoning Super Mouse's super strength. Super Mouse could do anything, get out of any sticky situation. That's all this was, right? A sticky situation. But he'd get away! And without getting any of the sticky on him. Only Brain could do that.

"Let's have some fun, Pinky," Nibbles purred, spreading Pinky's legs with his own, teasing him.

Pinky yelped and kneed him in the gut. Hard. Winded, Nibbles' grip went slack just long enough for Pinky to squirm away and get to his feet shakily. "I was having fun with you, then you ruined it! We were supposed to be fighting crime together, Nibbles!" he shouted, his insides all jumbled and upset. His friend wasn't really a friend at all... not if he'd do such mean things like not listen when he told him no or respect that he was married.

"You seriously think it's real? It was a game, you moron. You're not a real superhero." Pinky's eyes went wide and he could only stare at the gray mouse in shock before turning to run, but Nibbles grabbed onto his cape and tugged him back. Almost losing his balance, Pinky twisted and turned, hearing little ripping sounds from the fabric of his purple handkerchief cape. "Get back here! No one says no to me!" Nibbles snarled.

"Brain! Brain, help!" Pinky cried out before he could stop himself, wanting his chubby hubby to come find him and save him from the maze and this mean ol' mouse. Finally, the cape was torn completely in half and Nibbles stumbled backwards as Pinky lurched forwards. "Brain!"

He ran down so many hallways, trying to find the exit. But they all looked the same! And Super Mouse was too upset to fly out of the maze, so Pinky had to rely on his not very smart self. Even if it meant going around and around in circles. Able to hear Nibbles' footsteps somewhere behind him, he built up enough adrenaline to leap up and grab onto the top of one of the maze's walls. He pulled himself up and, with the balance ballet had taught him, he walked along it to the edge and hopped off onto the counter. Then he ran.

He ran and ran until he tripped over himself and went tumbling into his husband. He sent them sprawling, Pinky rolling a bit further until he knocked into a bunsen burner, toppling it over.

"Pinky! What on earth is the meaning of this?" the megalomaniac demanded, trying to break free from his ridiculous husband. But he was being clung to tightly now that they'd stopped rolling around like hooligans. He'd been in the midst of his plans; what could be so important that Pinky break their routine?

Panting heavily, he sat up and looked around frantically, keeping a tight hold on his husband for security. Even though he was still dressed as Super Mouse, his cape was ripped and his mask was askew and he didn't feel very super at all. Right now he felt very much like plain ol' Pinky, and all he wanted was to be with Brain.

Not seeing the gray mouse anywhere, Pinky relaxed just enough to burst into tears, hugging his husband fiercely. "Brain! Oh, Brain it was awful!" he sobbed.

The scowl vanished on a blink, ears falling back as tears hit them. Oh, dear, he didn't deal well at all with tears. "Pinky... Pinky, stop that. Don't cry." He reached up, removing the mask and wondering if one of the imaginary bad guys had ended up being too much for his husband's overactive imagination.

"B-but Brain-! He said- he said I wa-wasn't r-really married and-and wouldn't listen! He wouldn't listen, Brain!" With the mask out of the way, his tears only fell faster. Even when he used one hand to scrub at them, he couldn't seem to keep up. "I th-thought he was my friend!" But he couldn't be; not when he got on top of him like that and tried to do not-love-love things with him. Nibbles was a bad mouse.

"Who, Pinky? What happened?" He pressed their noses together, rubbing gently despite the tears, and carefully untied the cape from around his lover's neck. He paused when he noted the tear, stunned by the discovery. Pinky adored his silly Super Mouse game, taking special care of the persona and everything associated with it. Scowl returning, because someone had been foolish enough to hurt his husband, Brain lifted his hands to his cheeks and caressed gently.

When the rest of his costume had been removed, it felt like a big heavy thing on his heart had been moved too. Hiccupping, Pinky nuzzled his hands and blinked his glossy, blue eyes at Brain. "N-nibbles, Brain," he tried to explain, winding both arms around the smaller mouse's waist. "We were fr-friends and saving the day, but it was all a lie! He just wanted to... umm... well, do like love things but not! It was very rude!" He was reminded of the bad taste in his mouth from where Nibbles had tried to kiss him and made a face. The rest of him felt all gross too, so he pressed closer to his husband. "I told him I didn't want to, Brain. I really did, but he did it anyway. Poit."

Brain rubbed their noses together, processing this quickly. He'd come to the conclusion that Nibbles was an inanimate object, though as he realized that he wasn't, Brain decided that he should've known when Pinky had given him an actual name rather than Mr. Paperclip or Button. He started to sigh and wrap his husband in a hug, but the "did it anyway" registered and his fur bristled. Pinky didn't quite smell as though he'd been engaged in anything, but Brain's nose certainly wasn't the strongest. "Just what did he do, Pinky? How far did he get?"

"He got on top of me," Pinky sniffled, pulling back a little to rub his wet eyes. "And he kissed me and licked and touched..." He squirmed a bit, glancing over his shoulder at his tail, tucking it in tighter. "Then I kicked him real good, Brain. Well... it's bad to kick, but not if it's a bad guy. Troz. And he was being like a bad guy. 'Cause he trapped the intrepid hero. He had my wrists so I couldn't get away and then ripped my cape and chased me through the maze! So he deserved to be kicked."

A wave of possession had him pulling his husband close again, his ears going flat as he pressed his face into Pinky's neck and smelled a stranger. Instinct and irritation synced with one another, The Brain immediately beginning to lick and groom the scent away. No one's scent belonged on his husband except his own. "It's just fine to kick a bad guy." A hand slid down, stroking Pinky's tail protectively. No one's hands belonged on his husband except his own either. No one's tongue and no one's kisses. "It's alright. He won't touch you again, my dear."

The tension eased out of his tail, the appendage giving a few jerky swishes into Brain's hand. Pinky sighed softly, nuzzling the megalomaniac as these licks to his neck made him feel safe and clean again. "Naaaaaarf. I know. I'm not gonna play with him anymore. He doesn't respect husbands." He pressed a kiss to the base of Brain's ear. "I'm _your_ husband. Only you can do love things with me." And kissing counted too. Kissing was for marrieds only too when it came to him and Brain.

"Yes, Pinky. That's correct." Satisfied that the foreign scent had dissipated, the megalomaniac gave his lover's neck a warm kiss before pressing another to his lips. The tears seemed to be disappearing as well, thankfully. They were an unfortunate weakness when it came to his sweet husband. He continued petting his tail, the oddness of the usually seamless wags a bit disconcerting. That alone said volumes about Pinky's upset. "You did just the right thing, my dear."

Pinky sank into the loving kiss, his desperate clinging turning into gentle strokes up and down Brain's back. "I tried to be Super Mouse, Brain. But my powers weren't working or I would've got him away sooner." There was no one else around, so it was okay to talk about his secret identity. His tail wound around his husband's wrist and he rubbed their noses together with a soft sound, not quite a purr and not quite a whimper but somewhere in between.

"Well, sometimes powers can be disrupted by surprise," Brain soothed, mind more on comforting than explaining that Pinky didn't actually have super powers. "But fear not, my dear. Everything's just fine now. You got away and you won't be bothered by him again." Particularly not if Brain tampered with the scientists' computers and had his cage moved to the other side of the lab. He pressed soft kisses to his lover's face, coming back to his lips now and again. "It's alright," he purred.

"I'm not scared anymore, Brain," Pinky assured him, smiling under all the attention his lips were giving him. Warmth had replaced the cold, bad feelings from before. His smarty chubby hubby knew exactly how to make him feel better. "You're here. Poit." As the kisses kept coming, he tried to catch as many as he could; a quiet giggle escaping whenever he missed.

"Of course I am." The giggles made Brain feel better, the hand not trapped by his tail lifting to a still-damp cheek. "I'm your husband, Pinky." And I love you, though he left that part verbally unsaid. It was far easier to sink into a kiss, to show the words rather than say them.

The taller mouse felt them, the sentiment making him shiver and his tail release Brain's wrist to wag a little more fluidly. "I love you too," he told him, breathing the words against his lips before capturing them in another kiss, this one more needy and hungry. He wanted to get rid of that other mouse's taste and fill his senses with everything Brain.

Brain returned the kiss, feeling the wave of possession welling in him again. Someone had touched what was his and that needed to be rectified. His lover, his husband, his partner in every way - Pinky was _his_. The rumbling in his throat wasn't quite a growl, the megalomaniac wary of frightening his husband further, but the possessiveness was clear in it. He lapped at his lover's lips, tongue slipping between them to greedily explore.

Carting his fingers through Brain's fur, Pinky kept his arms around him and rubbed their chests together, squeaking in response to the possessive sound. It made the butterflies come back to his belly as well and filled him with the desire to be as close as possible to his husband. He suckled a little on his tongue, then kept his lips parted to allow it all the access it wanted.

The squeak had his ears perking, tail giving a twitch. It was an intoxicating noise, igniting a fire in his belly that he had become well-acquainted with since his marriage to his cagemate. He kissed and lapped, exploring his lover's mouth thoroughly until he needed to breathe. "Come, Pinky," he purred. "To bed. You and Super Mouse deserve a reward for all of your bravery." He cupped his cheeks, reveling in the warmth of them as he drew Pinky into another kiss.

* * *

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Martin Scorsese! No! It's Super Mouse!

Cowritten with the fabulous StarShineDC~ She is my Brain and I love her. Yay!

I had so much fun with the opening... you don't even know xD It was an absolute delight being as ridiculous as possible lol.


	2. Chapter 2

All the kisses made him dizzy in the best kind of way. "'Kay..." he cooed, gaze half-lidded as he nuzzled Brain's palm. It meant having to put a little bit of distance between them, but the mention of their bed had his body all tingly and he very much wanted to give himself up to his husband. Pinky got to his feet after breaking their kiss, holding onto Brain's hands to help him up.

He rose, wrapping his arms around Pinky immediately for another kiss. Brain's hands slid down his sides, caressing his hips, drifting lower to knead his thighs. He wanted to make sure the taller mouse forgot anyone else existed, give him all the pleasure he possibly could. His eternally happy husband needed something far better to focus on than the loss of a friend. "You're so beautiful," he purred, the truthful compliment slipping out easily.

He bent down to keep their lips together, stroking the megalomaniac's ears as he wiggled under his hands and all their touches. "Oh, Brain..." His cheeks couldn't help but color from the compliment and he giggled bashfully while bumping their noses together. "You too." He batted his lashes at his husband, though a strange emotion flitted across his face suddenly and his smile faded. "Troz... is that why Nibbles didn't want to be just my friend, Brain?" It was one thing if Brain thought he was beautiful, but he really didn't want other people to think that. Not at all.

Clearly he wasn't doing a good enough job keeping Pinky's mind away from others. "It's possible, my dear, but what he thinks is irrelevant. What I think matters." He pressed warm kisses to his lover's palms before lacing their fingers and leading him towards their cage.

"I know. _Zort._" He nodded, following and nuzzling one of his ears as they entered their cage. "I like that you think I'm pretty." Pinky licked along the curve, finding comfort in the action and leaned over to lap at his husband's neck and shoulder to taste him and lose himself in his scent.

Brain shivered, turning his head to brush his lips against the pink of his husband's ears. His husband. All his. "I'll be sure to continue on, then." He nuzzled Pinky's ear flat in order to lick the back of it, the rest of his body turning so he could touch.

Purring, Pinky squirmed and buried his face deeper into the crook of his neck, sucking on a small patch. His fingers danced down his spine, stopping only when they reached his crookedy tail and paused to play with the appendage. Ear twitching, he felt the warmth of his tongue traveling down to pool in his tummy. "I love you." His words muffled by fur, but the feeling clear and strong. "I love you, Brain."

"I know, Pinky. I know." And he couldn't quite make himself say the words yet, even knowing how badly Pinky needed to hear them. He cupped his cheeks again, pouring it into the kiss. His want, his need, and all of his love. "My dear," he purred, lapping at his lips, tugging him closer to their bed.

-8-8-

As they lay in bed together in the aftermath of love things, Pinky purred as he was effectively consoled by his lover. The kisses were wonderful distractions, and he only squirmed a little from the lingering discomfort before settling and snuggling beneath his husband. He rubbed his nose against the top of Brain's chubby large head. "Time to take over the world?" he asked, brushing his lips to his brow. "_Troz._"

"After we clean ourselves up, yes. Tonight's plan is sure to be a success." Things were clearly going his way, after all. That and a brilliant plan (as all of his were) was sure to get him the world.

-8-8-

That night's plan was not a success, however. Nor was the next night's. Or the next night. But that was all very usual and this familiar routine made Pinky feel much better about taking a break from crime fighting.

Due to his costume being ruined, Super Mouse clearly could not do his job. His cape was unsalvageable - given he only had one half of it and refused to go near the scene of the crime to check if the rest of it was there - and he could not be a caped crusader with no cape! He'd just be a crusader! And that wasn't nearly as fun.

He could always sew himself a new cape... it was easy enough, but something itched in the back of his mind. Almost like a thought, almost but not quite. It didn't make his head hurt as much as a thought did.

Pinky toyed with the frayed edges of the purple fabric as he watched reruns of Lewis and Clara. Watching it always made him nostalgic. Well, it made him miss crime fighting at any rate. Oh, he wanted to go back to besting the bad guys and conquering criminals. But whenever he tried to don his mask, he could hear Nibbles' mean voice in his ears.

_"You seriously think it's real? It was a game, you moron. You're not a real superhero."_

How it got in there baffled him and he tried smacking the side of his head as he tilted it, trying to force it out like he did with grape juice after a refreshing purple swim, but that didn't seem to help at all. He gave up on why the voice was in his head and focused more on the what. The what was what made him sad and twist the mask in his hands. Not a real superhero... he was so a real superhero! He saved people all the time!

Well... it actually depended on what counted as a person. Brain sometimes said Mr. Lollipop, Frank the Peep, and Peter Pumper Nickel the Nickel weren't real people, but that was usually only when he was angry-mad-angry and said things he didn't mean. They were real. They were his friends. Even though they couldn't move on their own or talk the way Nibbles could... that didn't make them less real or friendly.

Pinky sighed. It had been nice to talk to someone who could talk back without his help and played with him. Brain talked to him all the time, but they usually only played the kind of games Brain liked (not that they weren't fun-fun silly-willy games) or love things games (which he probably loved much more than any other kind of game) but his made up games did get kind of... well...

Lonely, sometimes. Sometimes he didn't want to talk for two people, it was hard enough talking for himself! Especially when he was multi-tasking with crime fighting and superhero stuff. While Nibbles had ended up being a meanie-pants-husband stealer, it had been fun having someone else who took part in the rescuing-save-the-day process.

He glanced away from his show to examine his mask, then listened for Brain. He was working on a plan thingy for tonight's tomorrow night plan, he could hear the pencil lead scritching against his blueprints. Good. He'd be busy for a little while longer. Keeping his ears perked and alert, the taller mouse started chewing on the melty waxy bits of candles that he collected. He liked the way they squeaked between his teeth and they were almost as tasty as his crayon shavings only without the colors. The colors really added a whole other dimension of flavor.

Brain didn't like it when he ate them (or anything that wasn't food actually) because sometimes when his plans made his head hurt he'd come over for a much needed husband kiss and if he'd been eating waxy bits then Brain would always wince when it tasted "abhorrent". He didn't know which flavor abhorrent was, but he guessed it was somewhere between spicy and sweet. Whatever it was, Brain didn't like it so he'd listen for him whenever he wanted to eat them, then dash over to his secret stash of mints just in time to hide it lest the smaller mouse punish him by refusing to kiss him for the rest of the evening. Or at least until bedtime. He usually gave in at bedtime.

So he chewed his wax and watched Lewis Lark sneakily hide his identity as Superman from the love of his life and keen-eyed reported, Clara Cane. Poor Clara. Lewis was so clever by using a pair of every-man's-man glasses to keep her from knowing he was really the Man of Aluminum. He never would have guessed to do that.

It was a great way to hide his secret identity though. And protect his love. Pinky scratched the top of his head. Perhaps he should wear glasses to confuse all his enemies. Except glasses were awfully attractive and he didn't want more incidents like with Nibbles to happen. He supposed it was already hard enough to resist a dashing superhero. It was the spandex. For sure. And the impeccable coiffed locks of shiny hair.

Pinky watched as Lewis transformed into Superman and decided it didn't matter what his disguise was anymore anyway. Brain already knew and did a wonderful job of pretending he didn't. "Thank you, Superman! You're a true hero! Hoorah," the TV people cheered. A true hero. Super Mouse was a true hero. Surely the crowds of people would recognize him if he was zooming around out there too. They'd cheer and know that he wanted to help everyone and stop the bad guys and make the world a better place for Brain to take over. No one would say he wasn't a real superhero.

Blue eyes widened. That was it! He'd go outside and fight crime! There were many more bad guys to be stopped outside the lab! Banks to be unrobbed! Fires to be unfired! Cropped pants to be uncropped!

Pinky clasped his hands together and leapt up. "_Narf!_" Almost choked on a piece of candle wax, then scooped up his tattered cape and mask. He was a superhero! He could save more than just the lab, he could save the whole world! Just like Superman!

But first he'd need to fix his costume.

-8-8-

From within his cage, Nibbles cringed and growled as he heard the fumblings of the blue eyed mouse across the counter. The fool didn't know what he was missing out on, what he was saying no to. Nibbles glared over in the direction of Pinky and the shorter, large-headed mouse's cage. How could that other mouse be wanted more than he? He was bigger, stronger, and showered the lanky mouse with attention. The whole time they'd played, he'd not once seen his so-called mate vy for Pinky's attention. The lanky mouse would just leave when he was done playing, around 8, but it was of his own accord. The dark-furred mouse snorted. The idiot wasn't much for company, so doubted this "husband" kept him around for that, but he did have an attractive scent and shape. And those blue eyes were so unusual, clearly reflecting the stupid mind within, but also lit up when they fell on him as if he was special.

What was he saying? Of course he was special. All the mice in his last home wanted him; male and female. And he did as he pleased with all of them. Why was this stupid mouse so difficult to woo? He played his dumb game, he befriended him, made him laugh and smile. What more did he want?

Grinding his teeth together as one of the inane verbal tics floated over to his cage, Nibbles stood and gripped the bars tightly. Perhaps he hadn't played hard enough...

"You want to play, Super Mouse?" he murmured under his breath, pink eyes scanning the counter, catching a glimpse of the big-headed mate, watching him as the "happy couple" shared more than a glance before Pinky skipped past him with his arms full of junk and the smaller one went on his way. "Let's play."

-8-8-

The Brain considered the entire matter to be in the past. He'd given Pinky what he considered to be extra attention throughout the previous few days, knowing how devastating it could be to lose a friend. Moreover, to have one betray you. And while he considered himself hardened against the possible hurt of any future such betrayals (not that he dwelled on the thought of Pinky betraying him... often), he knew that his soft-hearted husband didn't have the capacity to harden himself against anyone.

It was a relief to see the armful of what Nibbles had assumed to be junk, far more so than the angry mouse would've ever supposed. It meant the silly heroic persona of his was returning, which led him to conclude that Pinky was finally comfortable in it again.

With that in mind, the megalomaniac was able to fully concentrate on his plans for that night. His husband's renewed vigor for his Super Mouse game would have to wait until after they took over the world. A gleam in his eye, he rose from his plans and strode across the counter in search of his wayward companion. "Pinky!"

"Pinky's not here right now! You'll have to come back some other time! _Narf!_" The taller mouse's voice clearly sounded from behind the TV. He was mostly dressed in his new fancy costume, so he considered that he was mostly Super Mouse at this point.

Brain folded his arms, sighing. Of course, there was this little bit of ridiculousness that came with the Super Mouse game. "Well, I require Pinky's assistance. Tonight's plan has been completed."

"Well, I'm afraid Pinky's unavailable tonight, citizen. My apologies. Poit." With a flick of his new cape, Super Mouse stepped out to face Brain. He'd kept his old mask but in addition to the cape, he'd decided a full spandexy superhero suit would be fun. Feeling like a flying purple people eater, only he beat bad guys instead of eating people, he struck a pose and offered up a salute. "The city calls, citizen. And justice must answer! Unless there wasn't any caller ID... then it might be a stranger on the phone. Troz."

The smaller mouse scowled, impatience tugging at him. Was Pinky's odd version of healing more important than taking over the world? It was a very difficult call. He'd come up with an exceptionally brilliant plan, after all. "Perhaps his current activities could be put on hold for the time being." After they took over the world, Pinky could play Super Mouse all he wanted.

"Who's activities?" Pinky blinked at his chubby hubby, smoothing down his shirt and adjusting the pants part of the suit. He'd made it shiny, he just had to have shiny pants for crime fighting. And a nice black utility belt of surprises and shiny black boots and gloves! Egad, he was perfectly camouflaged with the night!

"_Pinky's_ activities." It was very difficult to avoid telling him to cease his foolishness, the megalomaniac rather proud of himself for managing it. "They can wait until after the plan."

"Oh, right! _Narf!_" he giggled, then started hopping away towards the window. "Sorry, citizen, but Pinky really can't help tonight." Pausing mid-skip, he took a moment to consider what he'd said. He'd never not helped on a plan, had he? Not that he could recall. Oh, but he'd already promised the world to save it and what kind of superhero would he be if he didn't help them? Superman never kept the city waiting, even if he had to stand up a date with Clara, and neither any of his other comic idols. Super Mouse looked back at Brain, trying to smile reassuringly at him. "I'll get Pinky for you as soon as I'm done sweeping the scum off the streets with the broom of the law! Promise!"

Brain's surprise at Pinky's refusal to help was very narrowly defeated by his irritation by the same. He could very easily go up, jerk Pinky down and inform him that he wasn't allowed to play his game. But that ran the risk of him being sullen throughout the plan or, worse, crying and being unable to help at all. He mentally ran the calculations, adjusting times, and sighed. "Fine. But 'sweeping the scum' isn't to take longer than an hour."

"'Kay!" Super Mouse agreed, despite having no idea how long an hour was. "Look for me in the night sky! When you need... umm... a mouse that's super! Call 1-800-Super-Mouse! Away!" With a twirl and a leap, he made it to the window and tried to kick it open. When that didn't work he just pushed it instead. His first time fighting crime outside the lab... he hoped he didn't forget anything. He'd packed his travel toothbrush in his utility belt just in case, one never knew when plaque would strike next. "Bye, citizen!" He waved to his husband. "Wish me luck stopping bank robbers and kidnappers and car dealers!" Then he began his epic descent. Which resulted in him slipping and falling on his face, but it was an epic fall and made him laugh.

Pinky knew better than to go outside on his own! Super Mouse knew better as well, for that matter. The smaller mouse scurried to the window ledge and looked down. "Where on earth do you think you're going?!"

"To save the day," Super Mouse replied as if it was obvious, brushing himself off and looking up at Brain. Oh, he looked so adorable from this angle. From every angle actually, but this one especially. "Bye-bye!"

"Absolutely not! There's no need for you to go outside on your own to save the day."

Tilting his head, the blue eyed mouse stared blankly at his husband. "Of course there is, citizen. I'm a superhero. I'm supposed to save the day." He pointed in front of him, as if to gesture to the whole entire world, but he ended up just pointing to a tree. "There are people out there who need me. I have to help them." Brain was a smarty, shouldn't he understand that? Suddenly his face lit up and he clasped his hands together. Oh, he just didn't want him to go by himself! How sweet! "Do you want to come too, citizen?"

No, he didn't. But he wasn't going to allow Pinky to go on his own. Only an hour, he reminded himself as he began to climb down. Surely Pinky couldn't get them into too much trouble in an hour's time. "Yes, I'm coming along. You certainly aren't going to traipse about the city on your own." He'd get lost within minutes.

Pinky couldn't help but hug himself in his excitement. Brain was going to come with him! Oh, it was like secret husband bonding because they had to be secret husbands to keep his identity safe! And bonding because... umm... they had bonds? Savings bonds, yes. Because they would be saving people. "Egad, citizen! Gah-lorious!" he chirped, bouncing on his heels. "Hurry, there's no time to lose! The city needs us- no, the whole world needs us!" He nodded sternly and brandished his finger in the air before marching off. "It needs us to keep it a world of laughter. And a world of tears, and a world of joys, and a world of fears. There's so much to prepare, and it's time we're aware-"

"Superhero or not, if you continue to rhyme I shall have to hurt you." Brain quickened his pace just enough to keep that familiar half-pace ahead of his ludicrous lover. He was already regretting allowing this to game to continue. If he hadn't spent so many days worrying over his counterpart, it wouldn't be continuing.

"Shh!" Super Mouse hushed him suddenly, somersaulting so he'd be back in front and threw out an arm as if to protect the megalomaniac from whatever dangers lurked five feet away from their lab. "Look, citizen. That shady man..." It was just a man. Standing over by a building across the way. Blue eyes narrowed. "He seems... shady. Poit. Be careful, citizen."

This was going to get old very quickly. "He isn't doing anything but standing there. There's no need for you to overreact."

"Overreact? A hero never overreacts." Pinky shook his head rapidly, stopping only when he smacked himself in the face with his own ear. "The criminals want you to think that they're just standing there. But they're really being dastardly." Making his cape swish, Super Mouse stealthily bounded across the street and over behind a trash can to further observe the potential criminal. He was wearing a jacket and a hat. Definitely signs of a creeper.

His husband followed at a far more sedate pace, scowling the entire way. "Pi- ahem, Criminals are hardly intelligent. At least the ones on the streets aren't. The rest are in politics."

"But citizen!" He couldn't help but protest in the way he usually did, though tried to make his voice less whiny. Superheroes did not whine. "What about criminal masterminds? Or super villains? Or the people who decided "Toddlers in Teapots" should become a show?" They were all brilliant and that's what made them dangerous. Especially this guy. He was eyeing the people who passed him by, but he didn't move.

"Hm. I suppose you aren't completely inaccurate." It was difficult for Pinky to find a television show he didn't enjoy, particularly in the so-called Reality genre, so there was clearly some evil behind the continued renewal of it. "Yet I find it highly unlikely that the first person you stumble across is going to be a criminal."

"Oh, citizen," Super Mouse addressed him fondly, giving him a pat on the head. "I don't stumble. I track and hunt and unravel the mystery! _Zort! _Then I throw the bad guys in jail." After a quick once over of the drainpipe beside them, the caped crusader began to climb it, hoping for a better vantage point.

"Now what are you doing?" Brain grumbled, choosing not to follow. If Pinky fell, perhaps he'd be generous and catch the imbecile.

His husband really didn't understand the crime fighting business, did he? Clearly the superheroes always make their grand entrances from above. The crookedy crooks never suspect it. They probably didn't read too many comic books then.

Just as the ever amazing Super Mouse was poised for defending the innocents, the shady man made his move. He'd been waiting for one of those big purses with all the Cs on it. It wasn't a very pretty purse though, Pinky had seen much nicer ones pass by, but that's the one the man wanted so it was the one he ripped from a woman's shoulder. "Super Mouse to the rescue!" he declared as the woman shrieked and the man started running, stepping right on Brain as he went.

Using his super speed, the intrepid hero was able to easily keep up with the bad guy by running along the edge of the building. He had the higher ground, there was no way he was getting away with this! Super Mouse leapt for the traffic light once he'd run out of building and slid down it until he could stand securely on the button for the crosswalk. Holding out one hand and placing the other on his hip, he puffed out his chest. "Stop in the name of the law!" he demanded.

The man did stop, but it wasn't because of Pinky. He'd chanced a glance behind him to see if anyone was following him, and ended up tripping on an uneven portion of the sidewalk to fall flat on his face in front of the traffic light, the contents of the purse spilling everywhere.

"Littering is wrong!" Super Mouse chided, hopping down from his perch, arms folded across his chest. "And so is borrowing what you aren't going to return! Unless it's time, 'cause you can't really give that back. But you can borrow plenty of that where you're going! Which is jail! _Narf!_"

The man just stared at him cluelessly as if he couldn't quite believe there was a little man in costume speaking to him. But as a group of people approached him, including the woman that the purse belonged to, he got to his feet and made a mad dash around the corner and out of sight, leaving the spoils behind.

Pinky gaped at this turn of events. "Hey wait! I caught you!" The little superhero mouse had honestly believed that his command had the thief quaking in his boots, that he'd won. Well, at least the woman had her purse again, but what if that man tried to steal more things? "Troz... looks like we'll have to follow him, citize- citizen?" He blinked and looked around for his husband, quite sure he'd been with him minutes before.

The flattened mouse was just beginning to pry himself off the sidewalk, though it was a tad difficult as the small crowd was already dispersing since the source of the excitement had fled. He just kept getting trampled until, when he finally was able to stand, he had to wait a moment before popping back into his normal shape and he was decidedly dizzy. "Ow..."

* * *

Super Mouse to the rescue!

Poor Brain has to put with so much. But it's for the greater good! Maybe...

Ohhh-ohhh, we're halfway there... OHHH-OHHHH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER! Yeah, we're halfway in guys. I'm a little sad, I though Super Mouse would be longer than that xD Well, I think I just separated the chapters in large chunks. I probably could've made them smaller. But oh well. Just two more chapters lol.

Just in case people stumble upon my dA account, the chapter two is a little different over there because I included a mature chapter one and half that I didn't want to have up the rating on this version. I'm sure you can guess where it went lol. So, if anyone wants shameless porn, check out my dA account cutcrescentheart and it'll be up there. Though it is rated mature, so not just anyone can read it.


	3. Chapter 3

Until the crowd had completely left, Pinky had helped the woman collect her purse items, though she did look at him funny. She probably wasn't used to seeing superheroes everyday. He perked up when he saw Brain all wobbly-woogly down the sidewalk. Waving goodbye to the lady, he skipped over to his chubby hubby. "Citizen! _Zort! _Did you see which way the criminal went?"

He held his hands to his head, steadying enough to glare at one of the spinning Pinkys. "No. I didn't."

"Oh. Poit. Well, then we must go after him! Come, citizen!" Super Mouse spun in a circle, having a tough time deciding just where to stop, then pointed in a random direction. "My mouse senses tell me it's that way." Latching onto the smaller mouse's wrist, he proceeded to drag him along after him.

"Stop it! You're not going to go after him." It was an _actual_ criminal. He was absolutely not going to allow his husband to go chasing criminals, not real ones that could actually cause injury. "I'm sure he's learned his lesson."

Pinky kept walking, but glanced back at The Brain. "He didn't even get a timeout!" How could you possibly learn your lesson without at least having to sit in a corner for five minutes? The taller mouse pouted. "And it's my job to go after him. I'm the superhero. And not just any superhero, but Super Mouse! People are depending on me, whether to protect their lives or their purses or their lost socks. I'll be there." He placed his fist over his heart and looked to the sky. "Besides, it hasn't been an hour yet. Troz." He didn't actually know if that was true, but he hoped he could stretch it out for as long as he could.

"I don't care if it hasn't been an hour yet. You don't know where he's gone and even if you did, he's entirely too fast for the pair of us to keep up with." Brain knew that digging in his heels every chance he got wasn't helping speed the process up, but he detested being dragged about and Pinky knew that. This imbecilic game was going entirely too far. "We are not chasing him down."

Pinky tried harder to pull him along, frowning at his husband's reluctance to even attempt to catch the bad guy, only giving up when it became clear to him that Brain really wasn't going to budge on it. Letting go of his wrist, the purple clad mouse crossed his arms stubbornly. "I had him right where I wanted him too. _Zort._" How was he supposed to clean up the town if they got away? Kicking at the ground, he stared at his little superhero boots while he sulked for a moment. It was a very quick moment though, because superheroes never sulked! He'd catch the next crook! Where there was a will there was a way! "Fine, citizen. There are plenty of other shifty thrifty people around here, we'll just catch a different crook," he stated decisively, continuing down the sidewalk without waiting to see if Brain would follow. Crime never slept after all, and neither would justice!

Scowling, mentally counting down the minutes before this fiasco of an hour was over, Brain went after his ridiculous husband and tried in vain to ignore how much it bothered him when Pinky didn't even look back. While previously at least tolerable (and even amusing at times), the megalomaniac was beginning to strongly dislike this superhero persona of his. Pinky never took the lead and he certainly never went anywhere without making sure it was alright first. Not only was he doing both of those, he was being so foolish about catching criminals and halting crime. He was a _mouse_, not a crime-fighter. The Brain could only hope that there weren't anymore crooks to catch.

The sound of sirens had Pinky's ears perking. Super hearing powers activate! "Naaaarf." A fire truck turned a corner up ahead and the caped crusader turned his gaze upward. There was a giant cloud in the sky, right above a couple of buildings and growing bigger by the second. He gasped, hands flying to his cheeks before he pointed accusingly at it. "Cloud monster!" He should've known it was only a matter of time before the alien monsters showed up. "Trying to rain on everyone's parade! _Zort! _ Not today!" Zoom! Whoosh! Off went Super Mouse to stop the monster from doing... whatever it was clouds did. It was a dark, black cloud, not a fluffy, white one, so he knew it must be evil.

That was far worse than a purse snatcher. But surely Pinky wouldn't be foolish enough to... It was Pinky. "Wait!" Brain scrambled after his companion, eyes wide. "Stop!" A fire. There was nothing Pinky could do in a fire except be burnt to a crisp.

Pinky did stop eventually, but it was around the corner and because he had to take a moment to gape at the fire in front of him. Blue eyes stared and ears perked up straight up in attention. The taller mouse gasped, "Egad, citizen! That cloud monster set the building on fire!" How rude! It was a building people lived in too! He had to save them! "With my super deluxe fishing grappling hook-majigger and my fireproof undershirt, I shall rescue them!" Super Mouse glared up at the cloud of smoke. "You hear that, mistah? If you can't take the heat, don't make a fire! _Narf!_"

"You are _not_ going near that building." Brain grabbed the tie of his cape, yanking him down to eye level. "The fire department is already on the scene, and _they_ will take care of this. Not you."

"But I'm here too and it's my job to save the day." Pinky blinked at his husband in confusion, then tried to pry his hand off from where he was holding him. "It's a day and there's saving to be done! _Poit._"

"It's their job for now." Brain grasped his wrist instead to pull him along, back towards the lab. "They're trained to deal with fires and the rescuing that goes along with it. You, however, are not."

What was Brain talking about? He was a superhero! Didn't he know that superheroes were specially trained? They saved everyone from everything. It was Pinky's turn to dig his heels in and pull back. "I can't just leave them, citizen! It's not right!" Twisting his wrist this way and that, he slipped free and darted over to the fire truck. He'd use the ladder as a launch point and swoop in the open windows to save whoever was trapped. There were always people who were trapped that the firemen couldn't help. Like a baby or an old lady or a cat. Or a munchkin from the lollipop guild.

"No!" Brain chased him down, just managing to grab onto his tail before he could climb the ladder. "I said you are not to go in there!" He would just get himself hurt, Brain was sure of it. Not even Pinky's special brand of dumb luck could keep him safe in that building.

Super Mouse used his super strength to latch onto the leg of the ladder. "Citizen!" he whined, fighting against the tugs on his tail while reaching up for one of the rungs. But he was too small, he couldn't quite reach when the lower half of his body was being pulled in the opposite direction. He could've used his super strength or super speed on him to get free, but it was his husband and he didn't want to hurt him. It was just very hard to understand why he wouldn't let him do his job. He had no problem with it back at the lab and he saved people from burning buildings all the time! "Let go!"

"Absolutely not. Under no circumstances are you to enter that building. Let the firemen do their jobs; this isn't a game." Brain tugged him again, trying to get him away. "If you don't come away from there right now, Pinky isn't going to get a single kiss for an entire month. And that is a lot of tomorrow nights."

For a moment he hesitated. Even for just one tomorrow night that was too much for him to handle. But... it wasn't a game. He really was trying to be a real superhero. And it wasn't fair that Brain brought his secret identity into the mix! He had to keep what Pinky wanted and what Super Mouse wanted separate, that's what being a superhero was all about in the end. You couldn't be selfish. Even if it meant not getting to kiss your husband...

Pinky sniffled and let go of the ladder, preparing to tug his tail out of Brain's grasp when something clicked. "Poit. You only don't want me to go in the building, right?" he asked, hopeful and eager. "What if I use my super birthday candle whirly wind leaf blower power to blow the fire out?"

The smaller mouse's ears went flat. Super bir- Idiot. "As long as it doesn't require you to go anywhere closer than you are now to those flames."

"_Narf!_" He nodded, satisfied that he could do his hero duties and his husband ones at the same time. Facing the fire, he took a deep breath and puffed out his chest. Inwardly he counted down from three, only he forgot how far away three was from the end of the alphabet, so he decided to go for it somewhere around L.

As he blew as hard as he could, the firemen turned on the hose closest to the two mice, blasting them off into the wall of an adjacent building before turning its spray onto the fire. They bounced off the wall and onto the pavement, only to be trampled by more firefighters who charged forwards to help any victims. Super Mouse recovered quickly and sat up to look around, beaming at his work. The fire was mostly out now, his super powers saved the day again!

Brain rose far more slowly, popping back into his normal shape for that second time that evening. Except this time, water sprayed from his ears at an alarming rate until he could shake his head and only have droplets clinging to his fur. He glared first at the building, then at his husband in his ridiculous outfit and that ridiculous persona and that ridiculous... everything!

This was all ridiculous and it was time to put an end to it. If he was going to be trampled, it was going to be for a far better cause than _this_. And the only cause worthy of him being flattened was the world, which is what they should have been doing. He shook himself out, yet another degrading thing to occur to him that evening, and it only heightened his anger. "Come. We're returning home."

"Oh, not yet, citizen. There are still people who need to be saved! Crime to be caput!" Pinky pumped his fists into the air. He was just getting warmed up! He'd never felt so capable before! If he could get a lady's purse back for her and stop a whole fire in such short amounts of time, surely he could save everyone in the world in a few tomorrow nights! Maybe even one! Getting to his feet, he reached back for his cape and twisted it to wring the water from the fabric. "Super Mouse does not rest until everyone is safe and sound!" Though he always did have trouble finding the mute button on the remote.

"I don't care!" the smaller of the two snapped. "This has gone on more than long enough for one evening! Now come along." He began to storm down the sidewalk, grumbling about water damage and fools not looking where they were spraying and idiotic husbands.

"Wuh..." Super Mouse stared after Brain, releasing his damp cape. The weight of the water making it smack against his back and stick. "What are you talking about, citizen? Don't you want the world to be safe and full of justice and world peas?" His husband had to be joking. There was no way he didn't care about saving innocent people, right?

Brain glared over his shoulder, fed up that his usually loyal companion was being so argumentative. "Of course. Anyone with sense would want that. But that has nothing to do with _you_ endangering the pair of us with all of this Super Mouse nonsense!"

Wet fur stiffened and his back straightened, blue eyes wide behind the mask. "Nonsense? Poit..." His expression fell into a frown and puffed out his chest defensively. "It's not nonsense! I know what nonsense means, and it means something... umm... something that it's not!"

"It _is_ nonsense, Pinky! And I've had more than enough!" Brain turned back, placing his fists on his hips to keep from reaching out and strangling the poor excuse of a masked vigilante. He couldn't frighten a turnip, let alone an actual criminal. And a turnip was at his IQ level. "As far as I'm concerned, your hour of playtime is over. And you and I are going to return to the lab this instant."

Pinky stepped back as if he'd been slapped. Brain knew he wasn't supposed to reveal his secret identity! He _knew_! Out of habit, he held onto his tail and twisted it as he looked at his scowly husband. Why was he so mad? They were the good guys and they were winning. "I'm not playing," he stated firmly, mimicking the megalomaniac's stance and placing his own hands on his hips, his tail straight and alert now. "And I'm not going back. Not when there are still people who need me."

"Of course you're going back. I told you to." Incredulous, Brain shook his head. "I allowed you to come out and play this game of yours outside instead of enacting tonight's plan. Which is what we should have been doing. You know better. So come along. Now."

"It's not a game, Brain!" His heart quivered as he tried to ignore what it meant when something was only a game. "It's real!"

"Don't be more ridiculous than you already are, Pinky. This is _not_ real. You don't _have_ superpowers. And _I_ am going home, with or without you." He spun around again, certain Pinky would follow if he just left.

"I'm _not_ Pinky! I'm Super Mouse!" he yelled after him, hugging himself tightly. "Go on home! I can help people all by myself! I don't need you! Superheroes don't need anyone!" And Super Mouse didn't. Brain wasn't special to Super Mouse, his words didn't hurt his feelings. Not one bit. Brain was just an ordinary citizen. That was all.

But even though Super Mouse didn't need to cry or feel sad, Pinky did. Turning on his heel so Brain wouldn't see any crying just in case, he stared straight ahead and pretended not to hear how Nibbles said he wasn't a real superhero either. Nibbles was mean and a liar though. His husband wasn't supposed to be either of those things.

"Well... I... That's fine! I'm returning home without you then. Feel free to get... flambayed!" Brain was too angry to feel the way his heart throbbed at the words, and Pinky's behavior was too bewildering to allow him to come up with an appropriately scathing insult. "And your outfit's ridiculous," was the best he could come up with. "The cape and mask worked just fine. You looked less imbecilic." He stormed off quickly, still dripping from the violent spray of water and fuming mad.

Lip quivering and eyes full of tears, he pinched a bit of the fabric of his supersuit and tugged on it to glance down at all his hard work. He thought purple was a very nice color. Waiting a moment or two to see if Brain would say sorry, Pinky turned around just in time to watch him turn a corner and disappear. "Poit..."

His ears fell while he debated between the need to chase after the smaller mouse and his responsibility to the world. "Brain?" he called out, taking a step forward, but it was only the one step. If Brain didn't want to be part of Super Mouse's life, then that was fine. It was less dangerous for him anyway. They could talk later, and maybe as Pinky he could cheer his grumpy-growly chubby hubby up.

"In the dark of the night, fresh from the produce aisle, Super Mouse set off on his next do-gooding destiny," he narrated to himself, marching away from ACME Labs.

-8-8-

Idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot! The moment he entered the lab, the megalomaniacal mouse stormed right over to the drawer he and Pinky stored their towels (washcloths) and began to scrub at his fur. The absolute nerve of Pinky to have just... disobeyed him like that! For his silly game.

He glared at the windowsill as if his wayward husband would pop over the top full of apologies and promises. Like he should. But there was no one, so his ears flattened, his poor mood doubling. Squished multiple times by multiple people. It was almost a good thing they'd been sprayed, else he'd require several baths to get rid of all of the germs. He supposed he should take one anyway, and he would just as soon as he accomplished a few things.

Tonight's plan would just have to be set aside to use another night. He marched over to the blueprints once satisfactorily dry and began to roll them up for storage. If "Super Mouse" truly wanted to do some good for the world, he would revert back to Pinky and aide him in global conquest. His success was what would make the world a better place.

Not an ignorant boob who thought he had super powers... Though Pinky's odd on-again off-again telepathy could understandably lead him to believe he had powers. He just didn't have the ridiculous ones he liked to believe in. And he was probably going to get himself killed, chasing criminals and putting out fires and... and who knew what else.

The fool would most likely do something like... attempt to defuse a bomb. That would only be good for a laugh, from a safe distance at any rate. Because he would snip the wrong wire or just run out of time and that would be the end of Super Mouse. Except... That would also be the end of Pinky.

The thought made him shudder, dampening most of his anger. It hadn't exactly all been his husband's fault, he mused, tucking the rolled up plan under his arm. He started for their cage, frowning to himself. No, the tramplings had been the cause of human error as they usually word. And perhaps he could've convinced Pinky to return to the lab had he used tact rather than force. When it came to Super Mouse, tact was what usually worked best. He took that particular persona seriously.

Brain looked back at the window, ears flattening from worry rather than irritation. He took it very seriously, if this evening's events were any judge. The bomb theory flitted into his mind again and, while unlikely, there were plenty others to take its place. He'd just have to go and locate Super Mouse after he put this plan away.

"Pinky," he sighed, still gazing towards the window, "you're such a fool..."

"Oh, but you can't hold that against him, can you? He's just too _cute._" A sneer-like tone sounded from within the cage, from their bed. "He's like a puppy. Easy to please."

Brain spun on his heel, instantly on guard. No one ever just snuck into their cage. It... it was _their_ cage! Why had this unbearably rude mouse chosen their cage to enter? No one ever did and absolutely no one was allowed in their bed. His fur bristled. "Clearly the intelligence of the mice here gets lower and lower each night. You've wandered into the incorrect cage and I strongly suggest that you vacate immediately."

The dark-furred mouse arched an eyebrow. Really? This guy? How was there any competition at all? Oh, right. He was dealing with a nitwit. Nibbles sat up from where he'd been lounging, sliding off the bed and purposefully rumpling the blanket. "Oh, no. I am quite certain this is the cage I want to be in," he remarked as he looked around. "You are The Brain, aren't you? You see, I've been meaning to talk to you about your... pet."

Brain gave him a bland stare, mind more on the thought that now he'd have to waste time washing these sheets. "I have no pet."

"Oh? I'm sorry," Nibbles apologized, but the false air in his tone implied he was anything but as he crossed the cage to the wheel and gave it a casual spin. "I was under the impression that the pretty, little, blue-eyed idiot belonged to someone. Well, if that's not the case, we have no problem and I'm sorry for wasting your time. Do you know when he'll be back? We have some unfinished _business_." The gleam in his eyes had nothing to do with business and everything to do lechery.

"I said I didn't have a pet. I said nothing about having a husband." So this was Nibbles. Of course Pinky would befriend a behemoth. "And get your filthy hands off of his wheel this instant."

He didn't spin it again, but he dragged his finger down the curve of the wheel slowly and deliberately. The corners of his lips twitched down and his brow creased. "Not much of a husband if he's got the thinking capabilities of a rock," he muttered, tail flicking to the side, then stood a little straighter and surveyed the smaller mouse. "You are aware it's against a mouse's nature not to take on multiple mates when in captivity? I mean, _you_," he growled as he glared at Brain, "can't possibly fulfill all his needs by yourself. You don't even play with him."

"What Pinky lacks in typical intelligence, he makes up for in other things. I've heard you insult him more than enough times, so cease." Multiple mates in captivity - bohemian twit. "As for what's 'natural' or not for our specie, Pinky and I are above such baser instincts. We're in a monogamous relationship, which you are clearly no threat to as he came directly to me after your attempted debauchery." He wasn't even going to go into fulfilling Pinky's needs; their relationship was their business.

"Not a threat?" Cracking his knuckles, he advanced on Brain with a cruel smirk. He'd had a feeling it would turn out this way. "We'll see about that. I want your "husband", and I always get what I want." Nibbles grabbed a fistful of the megalomaniac's fur at the back of his neck and hauled him up. "Luckily, I have you to help me with that. A good superhero can't ignore a damsel in distress after all."

"I am in no way a damsel," Brain snapped, plans fluttering to the floor of the cage in a heap as he attempted to free himself. "Release me this minute! And, to keep you informed since you're clearly on the dense side, you'll never get your disgusting paws on Pinky! He's mine!"

"Not for long," Nibbles hissed. He let his own piece of paper flutter to the floor to join Brain's plans, then strode out of the cage with his captive. "Not for long."

-8-8-

He'd been stepped on. Kicked. Smooshed. Completely ignored.

Not one of those bank robbers had feared him or Lady Justice. And they got away. Well, the police had caught them a few blocks later - he'd chased them down despite his tail and ears and pride hurting only to find that his job had been done for him. So, while he was happy to see them face the consequences, the part of his heart that hadn't broken when Brain left fell to little itty bitty bits.

Still damp and now tired and hurt, Pinky... just plain old Pinky, shuffled home to the lab where his husband was, hoping he'd be less mad enough to help him dry off the rest of the way and listen to him apologize. He hadn't meant to waste their night, he really wanted to be a superhero. Superheroes were special and important and did good things. Brain would be proud of him if he was a good superhero.

Sniffling loudly, Pinky nudged the window open and wandered in. As he took off his mask and flung it to the side, he looked around for the familiar large-headed mouse. "Brain, you were right." Not that his smarty husband wasn't usually right, he just didn't want him to be right about this. "I don't have any powers... poit. I'm sorry."

When no answer greeted him, the lanky mouse tilted his head curiously and made his way towards their cage. "Brain? Oh, Brain please don't be mad still!" he pleaded upon entering their home, at first ignoring the papers on the floor; his husband did have the tendency to create clutter. "Brain? Troz..."

Pinky used the edge of his cape to wipe at his eyes. Where else could Brain be? Did he leave to take over the world without him? "Egad..." he sighed, turning his gaze down towards the plans scattered over by the door of the cage. His ears perked slightly. Perhaps if he looked at his plan thingy, he could find out where Brain had gone to and then surprise him! Brilliant!

He plucked up the roll of paper, uttering a soft "narf" as a paper not in Brain's usual scribbles fell off of it. Blue eyes squinted as he tried to make out the letters, gasping loudly when he realized the first word was "Dear".

Then he read the rest of it.

"Dear... Super Mouse?" Pinky's brow furrowed, tongue poking out the side of his mouth. "I have your hamburger. If you know what's good for him, you'll come to the big ol' bridge behind the lab. No police. Just you and me. We'll be waiting. Sincerely... Evil Doctor Professor Nibs. Your new archvillain." As he finished reading, he hugged the letter to his chest and gasped again. "Oh no! Not my hamburger! Wait. Poit. I don't have a hamburger." Scratching the top of his head, Pinky reread the note. "Oh! _Narf._ Silly me, that's not an a! That's a q! It says "husband"!" His smile at his triumph faded in an instant. "Brain!"

Whoever this Evil Doctor Professor Nibs was had crossed a line! No one kidnapped his chubby hubby and got away with it! Not if Super Mo-

Pinky deflated some, his gusto losing some of its gust. And o, just so it didn't have to be lonely. "But... I'm not Super Mouse anymore. How am I supposed to save Brain if I'm not a real superhero?" He looked down at his costume and across the counter at his discarded mask. Then his gaze shifted to their cage and everything in it that they shared. As marrieds. Pinky clenched his fist and the note crumpled. "Maybe Super Mouse can't save Brain, but Pinky can!"

Darting out of the cage to grab his mask, his enthusiasm had to be cut short yet again. "Egad! How on earth am I supposed to find this 'bridge behind the lab'? Hm? That could be anywhere! _Zort!_" He threw his hands up in the air and glared at the note, noticing smaller print at the bottom of it. "PS: Look outside the window, you moron." Pinky did. "Oh! _Narf!_ I found it!"

* * *

Egad! The Evil Doctor Professor Nibs kidnapped Brain! How rude! Well, with Super Mouse on the job, then there's not way Pinky's chubby hubby love can't be saved! Unless Super Mouse doubted himself for some reason after a fight with said chubby hubby and figured he wasn't a real superhero thus rendering his powers null and void... wait? You're saying that's exactly what has happened? Oh...

Poit.


	4. Chapter 4

The Evil Doctor Professor Nibs paced impatiently atop the bridge, having securely tied up his hostage (because what good evil villain didn't tie up their hostages?). He should've know better than to trust that the simpleton superninny would be able to find his way to the very bridge that was right above his house. He should've made it simpler. Though he wasn't sure how much simpler it could get from right next to your home. Well, if worst came to worst and he didn't show, then he'd stay true to his "if you know what's good for him" and take care of that large-headed shorty mouse once and for all.

He'd win either way. Pinky didn't have a choice.

The Brain detested this bridge. He wriggled, trying in vain to free himself of the embarrassing bonds. He'd nearly lost Pinky on this bridge once, foolish words leading to an attempt at the unthinkable. If he'd been a moment later with that guardian angel disguise, Pinky would've been lost to him forever.

And if he wasn't very careful as he unbound himself, he would be lost to Pinky. He managed to look down, ears going flat. The water was black and very, very far down. He and Pinky both had survived higher falls, but there was just something... ominous about that water. Brain wouldn't have gone in it if he were eye-level. "I already informed you that I didn't know when my husband would return. Your pacing isn't going to quicken his steps."

Nibbles glared at him. "As if he'd be separated from you long. After he was done playing he was always quick to scurry back to you." He waved dismissively in his direction. "Not that you ever noticed where he'd gone. If he wasn't so devoted to you, you probably wouldn't have even noticed if I'd had my way with him." Messing with the megalomaniac did help pass the time, and was terribly amusing. "Or who knows... maybe I have and he was just too stupid to realize it for what it was."

"Pinky isn't stupid when it comes to love things; he knows and understands them very well. If he'd been willing, his cape never would've been torn." And he certainly wouldn't have come crying to him, more upset about losing a friend than of what had literally been occurring. "He also understands loyalty, which you displayed none of when you attempted to take advantage of him. If he weren't so devoted to me, I wouldn't trust him to play about unsupervised."

Nevermind. Messing with him was only making him sick. "How sappy can the two of you get?" he grumbled and rolled his eyes. It was vile. A new sound distracted him though, his ears perking and stood straight as he waited to see if it was who he was waiting for.

Pinky crawled up from behind. A good superhero always had the element of surprise on their side- oh, right. Not a superhero. Well, he liked surprises. He'd go with that. The blue-eyed mouse's gaze went straight for his husband, smiling broadly until he realized he was all tied up like a shoelace. How rude! Well, he'd just go get him out and take him home.

Quietly on all fours, as if he was playing hide-and-seek, the cape-clad not-superhero slowly approached Brain, his tail unable to help a few eager wags the closer he got. He was so focused on his husband though, he didn't notice Nibbles notice him until the evil doctor pounced and had him pinned. "Glad you could join us, Super Mouse."

"I'm not Super Mouse." Pinky glowered up at him, squirming beneath the bigger mouse to try and get free, very conscious of having been in a similar situation not that long ago. "Get off, please."

"Pinky!" Brain exclaimed, relieved. And then he actually considered what could possibly happen, took another look over his shoulder. "Pinky, go home!"

"I already tried that, Brain." He looked away from the mean ol' mouse on top of him, to offer a small, reassuring smile. "You weren't there."

"Really?" Nibbles scoffed and Pinky found himself frowning up at him again. "Who fed you that line?"

"Umm... no one? Poit. You don't feed people lines, Evil Doctor Professor Flimflam. Unless they're fish," he told him matter-of-factly. "You feed people food. Troz." The bad guy groaned and got off the lanky mouse, standing over by Brain while he waited for Pinky to dust himself off.

"Be that as it may, Pinky, go home." There was nothing safe about this old bridge and he wanted his lover as far away from it as possible. Not to mention himself. He tugged at the binds around his wrists a little harder, trying to wriggle free of them.

The motions didn't go unnoticed by the dark-furred mouse. "Ah, ah, ah. That's against the rules, Brainy." He plucked him up again, this time dangling him over the water for a moment.

"You put him down, you big meanie!" Pinky shouted, shaking his fist at him. Brain didn't like being picked up like that and being handled like a man.

"You're not very good at this are you," Nibbles deadpanned, rolling his eyes before getting to the point. "You want your husband safe, Super Mouse?" He waited for the costume-clad idiot to nod slowly. "Then you're going to have to do as I say."

Pinky blinked at him warily. "Like Simon Says?"

"Exactly like Simon Says."

"Pinky," Brain warned, flicking his gaze between the water below and the blue-eyed mouse, "don't do what he says." He was fairly certain that Nibbles was going to attempt to drop him anyway, and he was rapidly attempting to calculate ways in which he could survive. So far, not a single one was coming to mind.

"But Brain," Pinky replied, glancing over at him. "I don't want him to hurt you." His ears fell and he turned his gaze down, staying on the boots he was still wearing. "You were right, I'm not a superhero and I don't have any special powers and I can't save all the people everywhere..." He found himself searching for the lovely pink eyes of the smaller mouse, unable to help it. "But I am your husband, so I should at least be able to save you." And if playing Simon Says with Doctor Evil McMuffin would let him do that, then so be it.

The megalomaniac sighed quietly, but let it be. With Pinky distracting the behemoth, perhaps he could get these bindings loosened enough to escape. If they could just make it to the lab, Brain had more than enough devices tucked away to deal with the dark-furred mouse.

"This is going better than I expected. You've lost your bravado. You can see now that you're not special at all. You're not better than me. You're not better than anyone!" Nibbles smirked as the blue-eyed mouse only served to look more pathetic in his wet, ridiculous excuse for a superhero suit, and he dug his claws a little harder into Brain's back.

Though he winced at the tightened grip, Brain's head snapped up and he glowered at this barbarian of a mouse. "Where on earth did you get a ridiculous idea like that? Of course Pinky's special," he snapped. "And he's far better than you could ever be."

"Naaaarf." Pinky perked up, turning his adoring gaze on his husband and clasped his gloved hands together. "Oh, Brain!"

"You, idiot, he has to think that. You're _married_," he sneered, continuing to dangle Brain over the side, casting the smaller mouse a glare at the implication that he was anything other than amazing. "But that may change."

The lanky mouse stared at him blankly. "No, it won't." His heart leapt into his throat, hands clutching at his chest, as Evil Weevil Dingbat let go of Brain for a split-second, catching him by the tail before it was too late. "You said you wouldn't!"

"If you do as I say. Which you're not."

Lower lip trembling, Pinky lowered his fists to his side. "What do you want? You didn't say Simon Says. P-poit."

"I don't have to. I'm holding all the cards." Nibbles' glare at Brain turned into a grin.

"No you're not. You're holding my husband," Pinky reminded the confused villain.

The broadly built mouse rounded on him. "Shut up!" he bellowed, only calming when it appeared that Pinky had. Simon Says... right... "If you want pudgy here to live, then you're going to willingly leave him and come with me. Got it?" Too blue eyes blinked at him and Nibbles groaned. "You're allowed to answer the question."

"Troz." He didn't like the sound of that at all, something was telling him that he wouldn't be going with this bad guy on a field trip. "For how long?" he asked.

"Forever." Not that he'd be with Nibbles the whole time, he'd get rid of him once he was done with the moron. It would be easy enough. But the finality of it would better register with him.

Pinky looked between his upside down husband and the scary-mean eyes of the bigger mouse. Married was supposed to be for forever though. If he left and didn't come back, they wouldn't be married, would they? It was making his head hurt. "_Zort. _ And if I don't?"

"My hand slips."

Still swinging on his tail thanks to the abrupt stop, Brain was attempting to get himself to the edge of the bridge. It would be useless until he could get his hands free, however, which he was finally nearly able to do. The binding had slackened at least. "Your childish crush will be over much sooner than forever," he grumbled, "so no. Pinky isn't going anywhere with you."

"You're not in a position to decide anything." His grip on the sensitive, broken-several-times tail tightened to a painful degree. "I will drop you. And have fun trying to swim with your arms tied."

The pained noise Brain made was automatic, impossible to help. For a moment, he'd almost prefer to be dropped, but he looked down again and immediately changed his mind. "Pinky, you don't have to go with him. You have no way of knowing if he'll truly let me go if you agree."

"But I do know that he _will _let you go if I don't!" And he was hurting him. Hurting his poor crookedy tail and threatening to drop him in the mean scary water. Brain was a decent swimmer, but you couldn't swim without your arms. And if you couldn't swim in water... then bad things happened. So of course he'd pick the choice to save him, if only that didn't mean leaving him forever. "Egad, Brain... I don't know what to do!"

"You've got ten seconds to decide," Nibbles warned him.

Pinky's eyes went wide. "I don't know how long that is!"

Long enough for Brain to finally free his wrists, definitely. He kept them where they were, holding the string to make it seem as though it was still effective. "The fact that you've resorted to this shows just how much he doesn't want you," he grumbled, shifting to swing closer to the edge. One or two more of those and he'd be close enough to grab the ledge.

"That's not what matters. What matters is how much he wants you..." Nibbles lifted him higher, farther away from the edge of the bridge and closer to eye level. "...not to die." While he didn't catch on to Brain's bindings being undone, he did have to wonder how tight he'd made them. "And perhaps I'll break your arms too, for safe measure."

"No! Alright, I'll go with you," Pinky agreed hurriedly. But saying it and realizing he'd said it inspired a flood of emotions and he squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head down. He didn't have to be a superhero to know what the right thing to do was, and keeping Brain safe was the most right of all. "I'll go with you."

Nibbles smirked, his tail swishing pleasantly. "Glad you're finally seeing things my way-"

"But you have to put him down first!" Pinky demanded, looking up only to glare at the bigger mouse. "On the bridge, not in the water!"

"Of course." But his cold voice didn't reassure him in the slightest.

It didn't reassure Brain either, so he readied himself to be dropped just in case. If Nibbles was going to trick Pinky like that, surely he'd bring him a little closer to the edge. Close enough if he could get very, very lucky very, very quickly.

But to the surprise of both mice, Nibbles brought him back over the bridge and lowered him down. Pinky inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He felt better about this working now, his chubby hubby wasn't in any immediate danger anymore. Well, at least from the water. He supposed he could be hurt in some other way by his ex-friend-turned-evil. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, Nibbles was a big scary mouse and Brain was so much smaller. Smarter and better and amazinger, but still smaller.

"We go now?" Pinky took a hesitant step forward, trying very hard not to look at Brain in case Nibbles tried something.

"We go now." Not before he kicked the megalomaniac back, further away from the fake superhero, not caring if he went over the edge or not. In a flash he'd latched onto Pinky's wrist and pressed his body close. "You made the right decision, Pinky," he praised lowly.

Trembling slightly, unable to see where Brain went with this monster towering over him, Pinky swallowed thickly and nodded. "I know." Then he kicked out at one of Nibbles' ankles, sending him and the unsuspecting mouse sprawling. They rolled, both fighting to get on top, Pinky's only advantage being he'd caught him off guard.

Nibbles snarled and scratched at him, claws going for the intense blue eyes and came away with only the mask. Being quicker, Pinky managed to keep their positions shifting constantly. He didn't want to hurt the dark-furred mouse, even if he was trying to hurt both him and his husband, but it was awfully difficult not to return some of the blows. He just wanted to reason with him! Or take him to jail if there was no reasoning to be done. As they tumbled and fought, he found himself wondering if there was still some Super Mouse in him after all. But his wondering didn't last long.

There wasn't any time to think when there was suddenly nothing beneath them but air. In fact, Pinky's mind and body felt relatively empty until he realized he'd just barely latched onto a supporting beam under the bridge, then his heart was pounding from the adrenaline and his grip was slipping. Something was weighing him down.

Over his shoulder, he glanced back to see Nibbles clinging to his cape, glaring and growling and putting all his weight into bringing Pinky down with him into the black water. A whimper was wrung from his throat as the cape tightened around his neck and his fingers slipped some. "N-nibbles!" he shouted, carefully moving so one arm was at the beam and then other stretched out to the other mouse. "Grab my hand! _Narf! _ I'll help you!"

"I don't need your help!" he snarled. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"

"But you don't have to! We can get up together! I can save us!" Pinky's voice was choked, the cape getting tighter. Then it wasn't. His ears twitched up as he heard the ripping sound. He saw the surprise in Nibbles' eyes for only a second, then the larger mouse and half of his cape were gone.

"Pinky!" Brain hadn't skidded too far, latching onto a piece of the bridge quickly. He only managed to catch a glimpse of the fight before they tumbled over the edge and his heart simply stopped. "Pinky!" he shouted again, but his attempt to get to the edge failed as he fell flat on his face. Quickly, the megalomaniac untangled his legs from the stupid string and scrambled to the edge. He looked down, eyes wide and fearful, but only his husband was there. "Are you alright?" he called. "Hold on! Do not let go, Pinky!"

"Brain?" Slowly, he lifted his gaze from the dark water to meet his husband's. He was still okay. Still okay and safe on the bridge. At least he'd been able to keep him safe after all. The arm that had been dangling down towards the water came up so he could hug the beam and attempt to start his way up. "'Kay." He had no intention of letting go, only desiring to get back up to his husband, to hug him tight and never, ever, ever let go. "I won't, Brain!"

"Be careful!" One slip and... Brain preferred not to finish the thought, going for the string instead. He lowered it, ears flattening when it was shy of Pinky's placement. "Try and reach the string, Pinky."

The first time he reached for it he missed. Unshed tears blurred his vision and he lost sight of the string. He'd tried to help Nibbles, but he hadn't wanted his help. He was definitely not a real superhero now. Superheroes saved everyone. Sniffling, Pinky held on tightly to the beam for another moment or two before trying to grab the string again. This time he got a good grip on it, though he slipped off the beam in the process and hurriedly wrapped both hands around the line to keep from falling.

Brain slipped forward a bit at the sudden weight, but dug in and began to pull his husband up. "Don't let go, Pinky. Just hold tight. I love you. You'll be alright, Pinky." He said more, but wasn't conscious of the words, focused more on just getting his lover on solid ground again. And away from this bridge at the first opportunity.

As he was pulled up, he simply soaked up the words. They warmed him and comforted and more than that, they were spoken in Brain's voice. Once close enough to the edge, he grabbed on and pulled himself up. Only with the unmoving bridge beneath him did he realize that he was shaking. He couldn't feel it suspended in the air, but now he felt it down to his tail. Getting up on his knees, he looked to Brain, his wonderful husband, and reached out for a hug. "I only wanted to take him to jail, Brain," he told him softly.

"Oh, Pinky..." Such a fool. Such a darling, soft-hearted fool. Brain pulled him down for a tight hug, nuzzling him gently. "I know. It wasn't your fault, my dear."

"But Brain, I should've been there! Then he wouldn't have taken you!" He clung to him and buried his face against his shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't come back when you said to!"

"Of course you should have, Pinky. But it's alright. I know I was being needlessly mean." Brain leaned back a little, nudging him up so he could press their noses together. "Besides, he was awaiting our return in our cage." Which still needed to be cleaned. "He would have attempted something anyway. And now, because of his own foolishness, your secret identity remains a secret."

Blinking back his tears, Pinky gazed at him curiously. "But... but I'm not a real superhero, Brain." He lifted one of his hands to scrub at his cheeks. "I don't have a secret identity." While he had been needlessly mean, Brain had been right too. He hiccupped and rubbed his nose against his husband's for comfort; not being a superhero was another sad thing on top of already sad things.

"Of course you are, Pinky." Brain pressed a small kiss to the tip of his nose before going to get his mask from where Nibbles had discarded it. He brought it back, tapping it against his palm for a moment rather than putting it over his husband's damp, bright eyes. "You rescued a woman's purse tonight and put out a fire. And saved me."

"_Narf._" He flicked his stare from Brain's pretty pink eyes to the mask in his hands and back. Did he really mean it? If his smarty husband said he was, then it had to be true. Brain knew everything. And he was right, he had done all those things. But he'd failed at the bank robbery and saving Nibbles. Did that make him half a hero? Placing his hand against his lover's arm, he curled his fingers around it gently. "I'd save you even if I wasn't a superhero, Brain." Pinky leaned in for a proper kiss, it'd been too long since he'd had one. "But what about the people I didn't help? Poit. I tried, but my powers didn't work."

"After I left?" He waited for his husband's nod, considering the question. "That's simple enough to explain, dear." He took the hand from his arm, lacing their fingers. "Not only were you emotionally distressed, something I believe Super Mouse's powers can't handle, you were needed elsewhere. Your powers were clearly busy here, assisting me until you were able to come."

His knowledge of superheroes was extremely limited, though, so it was very possible that he was saying something Pinky could poke holes in... which wasn't ever a good thing. "Super Mouse is a very unique superhero," he decided to add.

Pinky gave his hand a squeeze, his tail flicking back and forth a little as he listened. That made sense, he was very upset after Brain left. And if he had been helping people, then he wouldn't have come home to see that Brain had been taken away. Oh! It was his Super Mouse sense! His powers did work! And his husband said he was unique! Flushed pleasantly, he smiled hopefully at the smaller mouse. "Really, Brain? Does that mean you like Super Mouse after all?"

"Pinky, I have never disliked Super Mouse." Except that night. Otherwise, it was just another silly game his husband played. "Tonight I was upset with you more than I was with your superhero self. I know how much you adore taking down bad guys and putting them in jail where they belong, but our plans each night are... They're important."

Oh, he didn't want Brain to be upset with _him_. He didn't want him to be upset at all. "I know they are, love," he assured him, ears falling slightly. "I wanted to make the world a happy place for your plans. You deserve a world where there are no bad guys." Pinky rested their foreheads together. "And I... I wanted to help people that I didn't have to talk for." Playing with Nibbles had spoiled him, and then made him doubt the effectiveness of his superhero self. "I'm sorry, Brain. From now on your plans always come first. I can save the world after."

Oh. On a small sigh, Brain let his eyes close. Lonely. His sweet husband had been lonely. He gave him a warm kiss, a quiet apology for not being better at playing. "You and I are going to take over the world, Pinky. We're going to make it a better place together, and I require your assistance more than I require Super Mouse's. At least until I have the world. Then Super Mouse can go out into the world and perform other duties." When he could control the circumstances better.

Purring, Pinky snuggled closer. Brain wanted plain ol' him more than Super Mouse! Even with the caped crusaders crime fighting skills and knack for all things justice, Brain wanted him to help instead. "I'll always help you, Brain. I'll be the bestest husband helper I can be! Troz!"

"You always are, Pinky." And perhaps he would try and come up with some sort of playmate for his husband. He didn't want to think of his friendly, happy lover as being lonely. He had so much love in him. "Let's return to the lab, dear. Your cape needs to be repaired and our cage needs to be cleaned thoroughly."

Brain slipped the mask over his face and stepped back. "I would appreciate it, Super Mouse, if you would return me to my husband as quickly as possible."

Super Mouse stood straight and tall, beaming at the megalomaniac as he offered up a salute. "You can count on me, citizen!" He lifted him up in his arms and made to carry him home; where he could be just the mouse his husband wanted. "Super Mouse away!"

-8-8-

As it always is, has been, and will be in superhero stories of old... good triumphs and keeps a watchful eye over the city and husbands. Super Mouse continued to be super and his secret identity was still, in fact, secret.

So remember! Whenever a purse is snatched or a cloud monster is making fires or a new pencil must be fetched for completing plan thingies, just look to the sky and Super Mouse will be there. Or the ceiling, the ceiling works too since sometimes when you're inside and need help you can't see the sky.

And when taking breaks from superheroism, Pinky was happily at Brain's side in all of his schemes, helping to the best of his ability. Which meant botching up most of them, but it was the thought that counted!

However... safely tucked away in their ACME Lab suburbia, the two mice remained quite unaware that they weren't the only two to have left the bridge that night in one piece...

A little ways downstream, a dark-furred mouse washed up on shore. Right at the feet of a crazed, red-headed witch child. "Oooooh! Poor Mr. Cuddly-wuddly mousey-kins is all wet and muddy! Time for a bathy-wathy! Then I'll hug you and love you and squeeze you and we'll play alllll the time!"

Whether he was better off drowned or saved, we will never know. But if anything, after being subjected to the torture of Elmyra, his thirst for revenge only grew each day. He'd escape someday. And when he did, he'd get that Super Mouse... and his little husband too.

* * *

The end!

What's a good superhero story without the notion that there will be a sequel? xD

Oh, I hope to write another Super Mouse story, this one was delightful. Though honestly, every time I stick him in any of StarShineDC's and I's works he's an absolute joy.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this story!


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